Kissy Face
by Canadino
Summary: "It's a look that means he wants to be kissed." Kagami/Kuroko


**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the story idea and only some of the witty remarks. I own so little; so please don't steal.**

Background music: -

[=]

"Coach, I think something's wrong with Kuroko."

Riko searched through the huddle of Seirin basketball team doing laps around the gym and honed in on Kuroko (taking only a minute to locate him, it was a record!). The first year was lagging behind, but otherwise appeared focused and completely aware. "What do you mean, Kagami?" she asked, frowning and doing a quick analysis through Kuroko's clothes. The numbers seemed normal.

"I can't explain it. But there's something wrong with him. Could you ease up on him during training?"

"If I do that, you'll have to carry his slack!"

"Alright." Riko turned to him, an eyebrow in the air. Kagami was often the one most vocal about her hellish grinding. For him to voluntarily accept on Kuroko's behalf indicated something wrong indeed. The group jogging came past. Kuroko spared them a brief glance but Riko still could not see what Kagami meant.

"You're making me worried. What did you see?"

Kagami made a face and scratched his chin. "It's hard to describe. He's the kind of guy who would carry his feelings inside to avoid bothering people."

"Well put, Kagami-_kun_. Not all of us are as readable as you."

Kagami looked offended for a moment; but it was true. "He gives me these looks sometimes. I can't copy him." He pulled an ugly face, making Riko cringe. She could not envision such an expression on Kuroko's face. "It looks like he's uncomfortable. I think he might be tired after practice. Could you check on him, maybe?"

"Sure, of course." Kagami got ready for his laps. "You'll have to do double the laps for being late today, though."

"But, coach! The teacher wouldn't let me go without running a lot of errands…!"

"Then you're not fast enough. We've got to work on that." She grinned an evil smirk at him, although it softened as he grumbled and started jogging off. "I'll talk to Kuroko, though. Don't worry about it. You're a good friend."

[=]

Kagami did not want to resort to this option but after Riko pulled him aside and assured him that Kuroko was still in tip-top shape, he figured he ought to get a second opinion. Kuroko had given him a few more of those worrying looks when they walked home together after practice, and once when they were eating lunch together, and it was unnerving him. If Kuroko was hurting, he'd have to know. He knew Kuroko would deny anything if he confronted him about it, so he didn't tell him when he dialed the number.

"I told you I only gave you my number so we could schedule a rematch where I'd beat you soundly again, but you're just ringing me up like we're bros. Let me get this straight." Aomine gave him a look of pure distaste. "We are _not_ bros."

"Shut your mouth," Kagami said tiredly, squashing the desire to throttle Aomine. They'd make a scene and Kuroko would scold him surely afterwards if he found out. "It's about Kuroko."

Aomine looked interested. "What about Tetsu? Did something happen to him? Does he realize that you're a shitty light to his shadow?"

"You're really annoying."

"Likewise. What's the problem?"

Kagami described the issue. He expected to be asked more about it, or even to poorly demonstrate what he was talking about, but he had not even gotten to the point where said he was worried when Aomine began laughing. "Oh, is _that_ it?" Aomine asked, barking laughter. "I knew you were pretty dim, Kagami, but I didn't think you were that dumb."

"What do you mean?" Kagami asked, feeling suddenly stupid.

"You don't even need to tell me how he looks, but I know what you're talking about." Aomine flourished a finger triumphantly, like he was an expert on Kuroko expressions. "Setsuki tells me I'm stupid, but even I know what's going on."

"Why don't you tell me if you know instead of wasting air."

"Sure, sure, don't get your panties in a knot." Aomine gave a dramatic pause. "Tetsu's giving you a look that says he wants to be kissed."

There was a silence. "Kissed?"

"Yes."

"By me?"

"Yes."

There was another silence. Kagami looked suspicious. "How would you know?" he asked.

Aomine stretched, yawning, as they made their way through the shopping district. Kagami figured that would be the safest place to call Aomine out on the weekend, as Kuroko was not one to be seen at the mall. He didn't think any of his upperclassmen would be around either, and he doubted Riko was the kind of girl who would giggle and try on clothes at the boutiques. "It's the kind of look that looks like he's in pain, right? A little wrinkle in his forehead? His eyes are focused on you and he looks like he wants to say something but he doesn't? His lips kind of twitch, right? Yeah. I thought so."

Kagami nodded. Aomine had gotten all the symptoms. "Why would you know?" he asked, the suspicion perpetually tattooed on his face.

"I've seen it before directed at me," Aomine said dismissively, his eyes straying onto a passing girl's chest. "Back in middle school. I didn't do anything about it, anyway," he said quickly, when Kagami looked furious. "I didn't like Tetsu like that. The people I like are stupid and ditzy and follow me around and have really cute crying faces. Have you ever seen Tetsu cry? He just sort of stands there and has tears coming out of his eyes. Not that cute, really."

"Oh," Kagami said, for lack of anything better to say. "What should I do then?"

"Kiss him, I guess," Aomine shrugged. "I mean, I'm kidding, you can probably just ignore it." He turned to Kagami, who was now determinedly staring at something else. There was a slight flush on his face. "Do my eyes deceive me?" he yelled, slinging an arm around Kagami's shoulders with an annoying drawl in his voice. "Does little Kagami-_kun_ have a crush on Tetsu? That's precious. Here's a bro tip: he really likes it if you surprise him with vanilla shakes."

"We're not bros," Kagami protested, trying to shake of Aomine, but the latter was already leering at him. "Get off me. I didn't think about that."

"I say go for it!" Aomine suggested unwantedly. "I think you've got a chance. I'd say I won't tell anyone, but I'm a shitty secret keeper!" He let out an obnoxious whoop and barreled off, laughing and leaving Kagami to fume and scowl by himself.

He knew it was a bad idea to meet up with Aomine. He would never know how Kuroko tolerated the idiot for three years.

[=]

True to Aomine's word, Kuroko gave him that look again when Kagami gifted him with a vanilla shake unexpectedly after a late practice. It did look painful, but it was also a little cute, a little bit hopeful as Kuroko looked up at him under the lamplight. Kagami looked away, Aomine's fucking irritating voice ringing in his ears, _it's a look that means that he wants to be kissed_. Personally, Kagami did not know that anyone could give a look that indicated that they wanted to be kissed. He supposed that was how couples knew when to do it, but for him, he had to ask or be asked. How was he supposed to know?

"What's the occasion?" Kuroko asked, sipping silently as they took a shortcut from the commercial district back to the residential area.

"Nothing like that. I just felt like it." Kuroko's face had lost the _look_ and merely appeared intrigued. They walked in silence for a while. Maybe Aomine was wrong. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Kuroko said slowly. "If this is a roundabout way to ask if I'm injured and pushing myself, it's really obvious, and the answer is no. You can ask coach."

"That's not what I meant," Kagami mumbled. Now he was getting uncomfortable. Kissing looks should be illegal! Now he felt nervous because Kuroko could spring it on him at any minute. He guessed he could just ignore it like he had been doing, but even he knew that if you wanted something, it was hard to want it all the time and not get it. Did this mean Kuroko liked him like that? He should have asked Aomine. No, ask and get scoffed at? Never again. He'd never call the fucking asshole for advice again.

"Kagami-_kun_, are _you_ okay? You look a little constipated." Kuroko had stopped and was staring up at him worriedly with the shake in his hands. Kagami cleared his throat and wondered what a normal face looked like.

"No. I'm fine." Now he seemed incapable of stringing words together to make actual sentences. "You've got shake on you." He thoughtlessly reached over and thumbed the spot on Kuroko's chin and almost yelled when Kuroko gave him the _look_ again, now more pronounced. Kuroko's skin was not soft like a girl's, but he had a good method of making Kagami stare at his lips. _It's a look that means he wants to be kissed_! Aomine was yelling in his mind. _Kiss him_!

Kagami bent down and kissed Kuroko on the lips.

Kuroko nearly threw the rest of the vanilla shake at Kagami as he backed away. "Kagami-_kun_!" he yelped, his face completely red as he wiped at his mouth. Kagami felt himself fill slowly with dread. He'd gotten the diagnosis from _Aomine_, who didn't like him. He just kissed his male teammate. If someone wanted to be kissed, they wouldn't react like this. He really was a massive idiot. "What was that for?"

Dread numbed when the question sounded not _why_ but _how did you know_? Kuroko's lips were cold and tasted like vanilla, as he flitted his tongue against his lips. The motion caught Kuroko's eyes and the boy flushed harder.

"I just thought," Kagami groped, uncomfortable but curious at Kuroko's lack of outright rejection. "Aomine said…"

"You talked to Aomine about this?" Kuroko asked exasperatedly.

"Well, I was worried!" Kagami protested. "You were giving me these looks and I didn't know what you meant! God, Kuroko, if you wanted me to kiss you, you could just say you wanted it."

Kuroko was utterly speechless, making angry and frustrated noises. He spoke too soon, Kagami realized again, mentally hitting himself. He'd just assumed again. How idiotic of him. No wonder Riko told him there were times he just should keep quiet.

"It's just not something people just say!" Kuroko finally shouted, before storming off and drinking the rest of his shake indignantly. "_Baka_gami. You really are an idiot."

Kagami was about to let Kuroko storm off and be upset and hope the worst blew over before they next saw each other again, but he reconsidered when at a certain distance, Kuroko slowed down, giving him an ample opportunity to catch up. And also, hadn't Kuroko not been upset about being kissed? He hadn't called Kagami disgusting or refused to see him again. Kagami was someone who needed people to tell him things. He ran up next to Kuroko, who was obstinately refusing to speak to him.

"Kuroko," he said, hesitantly. "If…if I kissed you again, would you be upset?"

Kuroko's usual expressionless face had returned, although it was slightly frowning. The boy mumbled something around the straw, inaudible to Kagami, who bluntly asked again.

"No," Kuroko said finally, clearly, the last of the shake swallowed. He was red again, and now keeping his eyes below Kagami's. Kagami opened his mouth to ask something else. "Don't ask me if I want you to again. You should just know." Kuroko was staring unflinchingly at something in the distance, but Kagami could now recognize the _look_. It was back, slight and somewhat afraid. The hand holding the empty shake cup was faintly shaking.

Kagami kissed him again.

[thoughts: cries gentle tears. I love the idea of kuroko giving a 'I want to be kissed' look.]


End file.
